Luciano: Chapter 21

“How is it going with your wife?” Cassio questioned me. After getting his shipment back yesterday and our dinner, we all went our own ways. We had legitimate businesses to run, and not so legitimate ones. More importantly, I wanted to work on my marriage to Grace as well as getting a security detail to keep her protected from Marco King and her family.

My eyes have been locked on the view outside my window where Grace played with Matteo and Ella in the pool. She didn’t know I was back home. Her carefree laugh carried through the open window, and I watched her hold Matteo by his waist, teaching him to swim.

My father, Matteo and Grace spent yesterday afternoon at the beach. When they got back, they both decided it was time for Matteo to learn how to swim. Hence today, Grace, Ella, and my father dedicated all their day to swimming lessons.

“You are doing it,” her happy voice carried through the breeze, amidst the water splashing. “Good job, baby.”

“Sì, Matteo. Good job.” My father commended him as he watched the entire scene with a smile on his lips. Since Grace came back, he had been rejuvenated. He spent every waking moment with them. I wanted to spend every waking moment with them too, but there was so much shit happening right now.

Grace wore a white two piece bathing suit, in the old-fashioned style. It wasn’t revealing, but it made her look hot as fuck. I thought back to two nights ago and our ride back home. There was no resentment in her eyes after our desperate rumble in the car. But unlike in the past, she retreated. Once we came back from our high, she cleaned herself up and sat back into her seat. I could sense the invisible walls she immediately raised around herself. Same happened when I brought her home and then again last night after we put Matteo to bed.

But I could be patient. I will be patient. She would be worth every minute of waiting. When we finally got back home that night I beat down Ian at the club, I took my wife to my bed. Correction, our bed. She slept in our bed, in my arms. Reluctantly, but she did. The next morning, she was gone even before I woke up. Same happened after our last night’s tangle between the sheets. This morning I woke up to an empty bed.

“Luciano?” Cassio’s voice reminded me of his question.

We both had drinks in our hands. It was late afternoon and my wife succeeded in avoiding me most of today and yesterday. We had a lot to talk about, figure out but the only time we found each other was at night.

It didn’t help that I had to deal with shit, so I was in and out of the house. Nico flew back to Baltimore last night. He had something urgent going on and a shipment to take care of. Alessio went back to Canada to handle his father’s funeral and he would have his hands full for a while, I was sure. Alessio’s father was a bastard and there’d be no love lost between my friend and him, especially knowing what the sick old man did. Yes, his father ruled the Montreal mafia but only in name. Until now. Alessandro Russo was the mafia head of the Canadian East coast as far as anyone was concerned.

So it left Cassio, Luca, and me to deal with everything. With Raphael’s help.

The Romano family was hosting their annual gala. Neither Cassio nor I RSVP-ed, but we intended to make an unexpected appearance. Right after our fundraiser. Grace never confirmed that she’d accompany me to my fundraiser event, but it was a custom for the wife to accompany the husband to the fundraiser. My mother never missed a single one while she was alive, always on my father’s arm. Now that my wife was back, I wanted her on my arm. Although she kept resisting her wifely duties. Well, except in the bedroom.

Last night when I went searching for her and found her in Matteo’s room, I had the oddest feeling she was saying goodbye. Even when we went back to our bedroom. Every touch felt like a goodbye. It had to be my paranoia because Grace would give her life for her son. She’d never leave him behind.

One thing was for sure though. Something shifted between me and my wife last night. Albeit, I wasn’t sure if it shifted in the right direction.

“It’s going great,” I muttered in response to Cassio’s question and gulped the drink down.

“That good, huh?” I couldn’t fool anyone.

Even a blind man could see Grace hated my guts, resented me. Yes, her body melted under me, but that was as far as it went. Her body responded to me but her walls were strongholds keeping me away.

She avoided me at every turn. She cleared the room before I even had a chance to open my mouth. We lived in the same house, but you’d think we lived in different states as little as we talked.

“Have you tried talking to her?” Cassio asked the obvious.

I shot him a glare. “And say what? Let’s start over.”

He observed me pensively. “Well, you could start with that.”

“Right. And knowing all you do, would you start over?”

“Well, first of all. I know the entire story and know that gun was empty. She doesn’t. If I didn’t know it, I’d tell you to give it up, and you have no chance with her. As it stands, I think you have a real chance.”

I poured myself another glass. I’ve done some fucked up shit over the last three years. Those first few months after she left me, I was on a rampage. I tried to take many women to bed, desperate to get Grace out of my system. I was so fucked I couldn’t ever take it all the way. It was all wrong, with every single one of them. I couldn’t even get hard for them – they smelled wrong, felt wrong, looked wrong. They were all wrong! After three months, I realized I was doomed. There wouldn’t be a woman ever to capture me the way my wife did. But she was out of my reach. Disappeared without a trace.

Obviously, Grace had men too. She had no issues taking it all the way. After all, she got knocked up. Jealousy burned through my veins that she’d care about another man so much to have his child. When we got married, she insisted on not having children. It would seem she just didn’t want them with me.

Who was the father? I already had Massimo digging for a name. The girls’ passports and Matteo’s were all fake, high quality fake passports.

Could we somehow overcome the fact that I put a gun to my wife’s head, although it was empty? Would she ever forgive me that I left her at her uncle’s doorstep like a stray dog, that I tried to fuck a number of faceless, nameless women trying to get over her? Could I get over the fact she had another man’s baby?

These were some large obstacles. Not to mention the trust issues we both had.

“Did you get the name of the kid’s father yet?” Cassio’s question pulled me out of my thousand questions.

“What makes you think I’m looking for the name?”

He laughed. “I know you, Luciano. You are digging for that shit like your life depends on it.”

I took a deep breath. There was no sense in denying it.

“So far nothing. Those two did a good job covering their trails and paperwork.” In fact, I’d like to know how in the world they knew how to get fake passports and documentation. “Whoever they used for it, did a good job hiding their shit.”

Cassio studied me, like there was something on his mind. “If you want to say something, just spit the shit out. I’m not in the mood for guessing games, Cassio. I have enough of that going on with my wife.”

Both Cassio and I were already dressed in our tuxedos for tonight’s fundraiser. Of course, we both carried concealed weapons under our jackets. We would not be caught unaware. You never knew when the shadows of our enemies were ready to strike. Just look at my mother and sister. My father thought he was safe, and the one time he didn’t have a weapon on him, our enemies struck.

“He’s a good looking kid.” I didn’t expect him to say that at all. “Kind of looks like you.”

A bitter laugh escaped me. “Now you are just being a fucking asshole.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “I’ve always been an asshole. Probably why we get along so great.” He was right too. “I’m just saying, the boy looks like you. He seems to be the right age too.”

I stared at him dumbfounded. There was no freaking way that little boy was mine. Yes, he was a good looking kid. I liked him, but she would have told me if she was pregnant. She would have said something when I threatened to shoot her.

Fuck, that sounded so bad. It was an empty gun, yes, but it didn’t make it better.

“She would have said something,” I justified, my voice hollow. Would she have told me? The memory of that day has haunted me every day and night since. Her tear-stained face, her trembling bottom lip, fear on her face that I put there.

She told me she loved me, but I was so enraged with her betrayal I didn’t even process her words. I didn’t listen. The words didn’t hit home till much later, when I sat alone back home, in the dark of our bedroom. It was the only time she had mentioned words of love to me. She begged me to listen to her.

Last night, I gave her those same words. She didn’t reciprocate them. Although I felt something shift between us; I wasn’t entirely sure if it was for the better or worse.

“If you think so,” Cassio retorted back. But it was written all over his face. He didn’t think she would have told me.

When was the boy turning three? October. Yes, she said it was mid-October. I glanced up to gaze over to the pool area. Matteo and Grace were out of the pool now. He jumped excitedly, Grace and my father sharing a big smile while Ella recorded it all. Like a real happy family moment. Without me.

“Matteo, my boy,” I heard my father’s voice. “You are going to grow up to be strong like your Papà.”

With the startling realization, it became apparent my father saw something I was blind to all along. Now it made sense why my father was so taken with Matteo. Even his name was a clue. She named him after my father.

“I can’t jump to conclusions,” I murmured, speaking more to myself than my best friend. “I’ll have to get the original birth certificate.”

“Have Massimo get in touch with my guy,” Cassio commented. “I swear, Luciano. You are the smartest, most brilliant man I know. But when it comes to your woman, you are blind as fuck.”

Funny, my father said the same thing.

How much did I really know about my wife? She studied music in college, played piano, and spent her high school years away in boarding school. She met Ella there, her first year of high school. They have been close ever since. And the last few years on the run made them even closer. But my wife never really told me much about herself. She knew about her parents will, but never mentioned it to me. I could have gotten it when we got married. She must have known her uncle was a danger to her, but she never led me to believe she was afraid of her family.

Now, I learned she was the Ghost. Of course, she wouldn’t share that with me either. Did she know she corresponded with me? Probably not.

“Let’s get back to the business and our plan for tonight.” I had to focus on eliminating threats that lurked in the shadows of my wife’s life.

“Agreed. By the way, did you ask your father about his connection to Kennedy Romano?”

“I did.” That was another thing that irked me. The fact my father kept that large piece of detail a secret. My father never kept secrets between us and this one was pretty big.

“Kennedy Romano and my father crossed paths when Kennedy went after his brother and Benito. They both wanted to reveal to the world that his brother and grandmother had their hands into human trafficking. He said they became good friends and worked together against them. Right before he died, Kennedy Romano asked him if he would take care of his daughter in the event anything happened to him and his wife. Papa agreed. Two days later they were both dead. He said he fought Alphonso for guardianship of Grace, but failed. Since then, he kept an eye on her whenever he could.”

“Did they die before or after your mother and sister?”

“Her folks died a few months before.”

“Is there a connection?”

“If there is one, my father didn’t bring it up.” Although, I had to admit it, there seemed to be a lot of connections between Grace’s family and mine. Even without taking our marriage into account. “The timing of Alphonso coming after my father, killing my mother and sister is dangerously close to the timing of her parents’ death.”

“I think you are right,” Cassio agreed. “Grace’s value to Alphonso was big enough for him to kill and go after the Vitale family if your father tried to get Grace under his protection. Just think, she was the promised belle, worth millions from her mother’s side and combine that with her pedigree and beauty…”

He didn’t have to finish. My wife suffered under her family’s brutality just as mine did. Yes, Grace and I had to talk. Lay it all out on the table and fight them together. I couldn’t fault her for her distrust, I earned it. But I’d prove it to her, over and over again for the rest of our lives, that she could count on me.

The next hour was spent strategizing the best way to hit Alphonso Romano and Benito King. We would see Alphonso tonight, but the venue was too public and without risking Benito King’s retaliation, we wouldn’t be able to hit without a cause.

“Alphonso will know today that Raphael’s deal with him was a trap,” I told Cassio. “He might attack first, so we have to be prepared. It will be a perfect excuse to kill him.”

“I’m counting on it,” Cassio muttered. He was just as eager as I was to start on eliminating threats.

“Have you warned Alexei and Vasili?” The Nikolaev men were more than capable of protecting themselves and their family but advance warning never hurt anyone. “I’d hate to see Alphonso or Benito try to get the women. Vasili will burn down the world if anyone ever touches his pregnant wife.”

Not that I blamed him.

“Yes, I sent them the status. They’ll be there at the fundraiser. Vasili’s wife insisted. She has the scary fucker wrapped around her little finger.”

We both grinned. Vasili and his brothers were a special kind of breed. It was almost comical seeing them cave to a woman’s request. Probably as comical as seeing me lose my shit over my own wife.

Movement outside had me glancing to the French doors. Grace and Ella stood outside, all dolled up. There was no mistaking they were going out. My wife wore a black strapless gown, accenting her soft curves and it made my cock jump. Each step she took, slits of her dress revealed her long legs. Her heels peeked underneath her long dress and I noticed they were nude color. She never liked matching her shoes to dress color. I still remembered her reasoning.

It makes it stand out when my shoes are a different color from the dress.

Her ginger hair, stark against the dress, was pulled up in a slick, high ponytail, exposing her graceful neck and slim shoulders. She was ready for the fundraiser event although it was too early and she wasn’t wearing the dress I sent for her.

Admittedly, this looked beautiful on her so there would be no complaints from me. There would be men I’d have to fight to ensure nobody touched her. Pride swelled inside my chest; it made me want to shout to the world that she was my woman, have it blasted across every billboard sign in the city and surrounding states.

I was surprised she didn’t resist going. I almost expected and readied for bickering. Like our own little foreplay.

Without thinking twice, I strode to the French door and opened them wide.

“Tesoro, you look stunning,” I complimented her. She whipped around, her violet blue eyes capturing me in their depths, making me feel like I was drowning. There were so many layers and depths to my woman. Her cheeks blushed pink and it reminded me of how she looked in the heat of passion. Flushed and perfect. I had to stop thinking about that, otherwise I’d get a major case of blue balls. “We have another few hours before we leave for the fundraiser,” I added.

She cleared her throat. It was her telltale of nervousness. “I have something else I have to take care of before your fundraiser.”

“What?” I questioned her.

The briefest of glances between her and Ella told me something was going on.

“Just some business.” Her voice was calm but the graceful movement of her neck as she swallowed, told me she wasn’t calm. In fact, she was the exact opposite. Rattled, nervous… almost scared.

I told myself not to lose my shit, to keep my temper under control, keep a lid on my jealousy. And I fucking lost. I always fucking lost around my wife. I wanted her everything and it made me blind as fuck. Just like my father and Cassio claimed.

“What kind of fucking business are you doing dressed like that?”

I acted like a damn jackass, startling Grace but she quickly got herself together.

“I didn’t know you were back home,” she answered in a soft voice, avoiding answering my question.

Fuck, she could read a damn recipe of chopped livers in her soft voice and I’d get a hard on.

“I sure am. Now, where are you going?”

“Out. For. Business.”

I gritted my teeth, hating the idea of any man seeing her dressed hot like this. Or even worse, touching her.

“What fucking business? Shouldn’t you stay home with the baby?” It pissed me off to think of her going anywhere without me. “Besides, we are driving to the fundraiser together.”

Her delicate eyebrows frowned. “Nonno is watching Matteo. And I’ll meet you at the venue. I have to take care of something.”

“Who are you going with?” I hissed, jealousy eating at me. She rolled her eyes at me. “Did you just-”

“Yes, Luciano. Yes, I did. I just rolled my eyes at you.” Annoyance on her face and her voice portrayed agitation. But there was something else there too that I couldn’t decipher. “As you can see, Ella and I are busy. We will meet you at your venue if we can, text me the address. And now go get a damn life, and stay the hell out of mine.”

“I’m your husband,” I spat out.

“Jesus, I wish you’d stop saying that. Like it will make me do whatever you want me to do. We are pretty much separated,” she accented the word. “On our way to an annulment. You know the definition of annulment? Marriage never happened. So please, for the love of God, stop saying you are my husband.”

She turned her back to leave when I grabbed her forearm, getting into her face. “You can’t go out looking like that!” I growled low.

“You just said I looked stunning. What is your problem, Luciano?” she hissed. “Just because you dragged me back to get what you wanted, it doesn’t mean my life stops. I have things to take care of. So please don’t make this more difficult.”

“What things?” The moment I asked, I could see on her face she regretted her words.

“Let go of me, Luciano.” She tugged on her arm, trying to get the grip loosened. Her skin flushed and there was a hint of panic in her eyes.

“Where?”

“Where what?”

“Where are you going?”

“None of your business.”

“One of my drivers will take you.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Yes, end of discussion. Otherwise, you are going nowhere.” I have had enough of her rebellion. “I won’t have anything happen to you while you are under my roof.”

She threw her head back and laughed. Although there was no amusement in it.

“Seriously?” she asked. “There are so many words I could say now, but unfortunately I have no time. Fine, I’ll take your damn car, Luciano.”

She pulled her arm out of my hold and strode away from me, like a queen doing a catwalk. Fuck, she was sexy.

A chuckle interrupted my longing stare after my wife, and my head snapped to my best friend. “Luciano, that woman is your vice.”

“Shut up, fucker.” Another chuckle. “Just you wait. You’ll get it back.”

By now, Grace disappeared from my view. I fucking hated that she didn’t trust me. That she kept secrets from me. I wanted to help her. Yes, I fucked up big time. My wife and I had to sit down and have a talk; starting with the way our marriage commenced.

At least she took my driver and she wouldn’t be wide open. I would find out where he took them and send someone to keep an eye on her.

“Besides, Cassio, aren’t you scheming for your woman?” I decided to taunt my best friend. And I needed to relieve some of my frustration. “How is that going?”

His face turned dark. “Fucker!”

I chuckled. “Don’t like it when the tables are turned, do you?” I joked bitterly. He flipped me a bird but his expression was still dark. “Anything I can do to help?” I asked, sincerely hoping his life wouldn’t become a major cluster like mine was.

“Thank you, but no,” he muttered. “You have enough on your plate.”

That might be true but I’d like to see my best friend finally get the family he wanted. It was one thing all of us had in common. Thirst for a family. I was lucky with my parents and seeing the love they shared, I always knew eventually I’d want the same. My friends weren’t as lucky. Cassio’s and Luca’s father killed their mother. Nico’s mother was a major alcoholic, Alessio’s father was a sick perverted predator.

“Well, my offer stands,” I told him. “Anytime, anywhere.”

He nodded. “Likewise,” he offered, and no other words were needed.

Cassio and I continued our plans. The fundraiser would start in two hours. Vasili would meet us there along with his wife and Alexei. The latter used to work with Cassio and I. A damn good enforcer. He could hunt down anyone, anywhere. When you hired Alexei, you knew without a doubt the hunted was dead. If only Alexei was still open for hire.

The door of my office burst open and Massimo ran in. Both Cassio and I turned our eyes to him in alarm.

“What is it?” Massimo looked disheveled, shaken.

“Where are the women?”

“They left about an hour ago.”

“Fuck.” His eyes darted like he was hoping by some miracle they’d reappear.

Dread pooled in my stomach. “Speak now.”

“Those two-” he searched for words. “They are going to get themselves killed.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

Massimo rushed to my com system and hooked it up. “Roberto has been deleting surveillance footage. It’s been him all along.” What the fuck was he talking about?

“Massimo, you are not making any sense,” I barked out.

He picked up the remote and turned around facing us. “It was Roberto that betrayed our location three years ago.” Acid burned in my veins, fury feeding it with rage. “Ever since Grace got back, he has been deleting snaps of surveillance. He’s been working with the Romano and King family.”

Cassio and I shared a glance.

“How do you know?” I inquired. Roberto has been working for me for thirteen years. “He had never betrayed us before. Why three years ago? Why now?”

“He’s Alphonso’s son,” he hissed. “His fucking son.”

“Are you sure?” Cassio and I asked at the same moment. He would pay. I’d make him pay.

“Yes, I’m sure.” Massimo pushed his hand through his hair, making it an even bigger mess. “Grace and Ella discovered Alphonso had a kid. They have been digging, trying to find leverage against Alphonso, but they didn’t have any clues. No gender, no woman in Alphonso’s past, nothing.”

“I thought he’s playing for the other team,” I commented.

“He does. His relationship with Ian Laszlo is a long one. He impregnated a woman through in vitro treatment. One of the kidnapped women. He wanted to make sure not to have a girl and was desperate for a descendant, his descendant, to the Romano line.”

“Are you sure it is Roberto?”

“Yes, I located the records,” he muttered. “Roberto’s mother was killed after she gave birth. But her mother, Roberto’s grandmother, lived to tell the tale.”

“Why do you say they will get themselves killed?” Cassio inquired. “Are they going after Roberto?”

“No, after Sophia Romano and Alphonso. Neither Grace nor Ella are killers,” he muttered frantically. “I have the surveillance that Roberto wiped out three years ago. When Grace’s stuff came back, the chip we installed on her was among her stuff. By sheer luck, I decided to check it out.”

“Play the footage.” The fury was Arctic cold in my veins.

Her uncle’s voice came through the speaker.

“I told you Luciano was bad news, Grace,” her uncle scolded her. “He was trying to use you to destroy the Romano legacy.”

Grace remained quiet. I wished we had a video surveillance of this, so I could see her face.

“Pull yourself together. I don’t want your face all puffy.”

“Yes.” Fuck, my heart hurt at hearing her voice. I did that to her.

“Don’t worry, Belle of the Season. We’ll annul your marriage. A few months and you’ll never remember him. What I have in store for you, you’ll have a better criminal in your bed. Romano belles are a highly sought after commodity.”

Silence. “Fuck. You. Uncle.”

A loud slap sounded through, followed by a low whimper that almost sounded like a wounded animal. That fucking bastard hit her. He was dead. I couldn’t wait to kill him.

“Don’t tell me you are crying for that piece of shit,” her uncle mocked in a taunting voice.

I didn’t deserve her. Grace should have gotten so much better than me, but she was my wife. It was time we made the responsible people pay. It was never my wife’s burden to bear. I learned that fucking lesson, now I just had to convince her to give us a chance. In the meantime, I’d burn down every single person that ever hurt her. I didn’t give a shit if I did it in open retaliation. Fucking bastards deserved it.

“No, Uncle. Can I go to my room?”

“Might as well. You will be useless today. Tomorrow, I expect you to look your best.”

Footsteps echoed and the door closed. Then sobs broke through the audio. Hearing Grace cry felt like multiple stabs into my heart. A knock on the door and crying immediately stopped.

“Just a minute.” Shuffling and then the door opening.

“Ella, what are you doing here?”

“I have to tell you something.”

“Can it wait? It’s not the best time.”

“Your uncle plans on taking us both tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” I wondered what they were talking about. Take her where?

“They expect to sell us tomorrow. The auction is tomorrow.”

“No.” I could hear the terror in her voice. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.” Another stretch of silence before Ella’s shaking voice came through. “Could your husband help?”

A pang in my heart. Grace needed me, and I wasn’t there. Damn it, she needed me, and I failed her.

“No, I think we are on our own.”

“But he married you.”

“It was about revenge. I don’t know all the details, but it doesn’t matter anymore. He thinks I betrayed him.“

“About what?”

“About some location he told me about.”

“Did you?”

“No.” Grace’s voice sounded tired. “I think it’s Roberto. I saw him with Uncle once, but it was a few years back, when I was a kid. It was so long ago, a few months before Mom and Dad died. I caught my uncle threatening Mom backstage, in her dressing room. I didn’t know who he was and didn’t understand the words.” She let out a bitter laugh. “I certainly understand them now.”

My chest squeezed. It wasn’t Grace.

“We could call him and tell him.” Ella’s voice sounded hopeful.

Another stretch of silence.

“It doesn’t matter, Ella. I’m leaving anyhow.” There was some noise and a crash. I shared a glance with Massimo.

“Are you sick?”

“No.”

“Oh my God, Grace. Are you-” Retching sounds came through, followed by throwing up. Confusion hit me. Was she sick? “Are you pregnant?”

“I’m done, Ella.” Grace’s voice shook. I was the worst bastard. There was my confirmation that Matteo was mine. No wonder she hated my guts. She should. I wouldn’t blame her if she killed me; I would let her, too. “I’m done being everyone’s pawn. I’m leaving tonight.”

“But your Uncle-”

“Will have me killed, one way or the other. He already controls my inheritance. And that’s not enough for him. He’s going to sell us. We have to run.”

“Does Luciano know about the pregnancy?”

A bitter laugh came through the air. “I was going to tell him at dinner.”

“You could call him.”

“I never want to see him again. As far as I’m concerned, they can all kill each other. I’m leaving and never looking back.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.”

“Your uncle and the King’s family will hunt us relentlessly.”

“That’s why it has to be tonight.” Another stretch of silence. “I could take the first flight out. To Europe. Any other continent but here.”

“I’m coming with you then.”

A soft gasp.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I am not okay with being sold to settle my parent’s agreement either. It will be easier if we are together.”

“Ella, you’d have to leave it all behind.”

“There isn’t much to leave, is there?”

“Your whole life… phone, clothes, everything.”

“Why do we have to leave our phones behind?”

“I learned from my dear husband that burner phones are better, harder to trace.”

“Okay, phones left behind.”

“I need to get to my uncle’s safe. He has some cash stashed in there.”

“Do you know the code?”

“I think so. Luciano had a passport with a fake name done for me. It is still in my purse.”

“Won’t he know if we travel under his fake passport?”

“Yes, but my uncle won’t. The moment we get to Europe, I’ll ditch it, and we can make new identification. Do you have yours?”

“Yeah, I’ve been going around with my fake passport for a week.”

“You used that same contact of Luciano’s I gave you?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Then let’s steal some of my cash and get the fuck away from everyone.”

Grace never betrayed me. Matteo was mine. I hurt my wife and could have cost my son his life.

“Fuck,” Cassio muttered.

Yes, fuck.

“This next one is from two days ago and has a video along with audio. It was from Ella’s room. I had surveillance installed throughout the house until I worked up on hacking their phones. I didn’t bother checking it since I hacked into their phones. Roberto didn’t know about any of the installs I’ve done or upgrades I made.” Thank fuck! He switched the USB. “I installed the tracing in the surveillance room, throughout the house and a separate code on the software. I used whatever Ella and Grace have been using. That fucking Roberto has been the culprit all along.” Massimo pushed a hand through his hair. “Watch this.”

Massimo turned the large screen on, and the two best friends showed up on the screen. Both of them had tumbled hair, sitting on the bed in Ella’s room.

“I thought of something,” Grace told Ella. It must have been the morning she slept in my room. She wore one of my shirts that came down her knees. She was only five foot four and although my shirt hung too big on her, it made her look like mine. Not like… she was mine.

Ella must have worn Massimo’s shirt. I guess she was his.

“What?”

“My grandmother usually holds her annual gala every year. What if we made an appearance there? My uncle usually never misses it.”

I frowned. That was today. What are those two up to?

“Yeah, I remember but what good would that do?”

“We could take him and her down there.”

They stared at each other, and I wondered what they were thinking.

“I’ll do it,” Grace spoke softly. “But that’s not going to fix our problem in full though.”

“What do you mean?”

“Even with them gone, that agreement of selling me still stands. It has been standing for centuries. Same is true for your parents’ agreement for you. My uncle might have ruined your family, but he sold that agreement to Benito King.”

“What are you saying, Grace?”

“We have to kill all the Kings.”

Cassio laughed, and my head snapped to him. It wasn’t funny. I didn’t want my wife anywhere near Marco and Benito King.

“You have to admire your wife,” Cassio murmured, a small smile still on his face. “She has guts.”

Didn’t I know it!

“Are you suicidal?” Ella raised her voice slightly. “We’d have to kill them all at the same time, otherwise they’ll hunt us down. They know how to hunt and kill, we don’t. And Grace, they wouldn’t just kill us.”

“I know. But what other way could we ensure they never got their hands on us?” I watched Grace take a deep breath and then exhale. “Gabriella, if they get their hands on us, we are dead anyhow.”

“Fuck.”

“What about Cassio and Luca King?” Ella questioned.

“What about them?”

“Well, they are the Kings too.”

Grace’s delicate brows scrunched, as if she was debating whether she would kill them too.

“I don’t know. They are Benito King’s sons, but it is like they don’t know anything about all this. We should probably kill them too.”

Cassio chuckled and tried to quickly cover it with a cough. He failed.

“What if they are innocent?” Ella questioned, her face full of fear.

“And what if they aren’t, Ella?” Did I do this to my wife? Did my actions force her to consider killing? I could see it clearly as day on her face she didn’t like the idea of killings.

“They seem close friends with your husband,” Ella murmured. “And those five men, including your husband… I don’t think we are a match for them.”

“I know. But what do we do if they decide to enforce the agreement? They are the Kings after all.”

“Jesus, we had dinner with them.”

“So we should let them kill us because we had dinner with them?”

“That is not what I am saying. But maybe we should consider they might not be connected to their father. I mean, you grew up under your uncle and have no connection to him. Maybe they are similar.”

“Fine, I’ll give you this one. Can you hack into their communication and see what the deal is with them? I don’t think we are a match for Cassio and Luca King anyhow. If their relationship with their father is similar to mine with my uncle, we’ll let them live.”

Ella chuckled, although it was strained. “I swear, woman. You sound bloodthirsty, and we haven’t killed a single person yet.”

There was one thing clear. These two belles would take shit from no mobster or any man for that matter. They would fight tooth and nail to keep their freedom and choice. Of course, they shouldn’t have to fight for it.

“I don’t really like the idea of killing anyone. But I really don’t want to be sold to some criminal.”

“I can tell,” Ella told her. “You are still trying to get over your current one.” Ella thought my wife was still into me. All of a sudden, I liked my wife’s friend very much.

“I am totally over the current one.”

“Right.”

“What does that mean?”

“Why don’t you just admit you are not over him?”

“I am!”

“No, you are not. Maybe your husband is not over you either.”

“Now you are just talking stupid. He was never into me so there is nothing for him to get over.”

“Right, that’s why he beat Ian like some madman… in the middle of a nightclub.”

“Why are we talking about him? We have this life and death situation over our heads, and we are debating whether Luciano is or isn’t into me. When we are dead, do you really think in the grand scheme of things it will matter?”

“So you think we won’t get out of this alive?”

“We’ll damn well try. Gabriella, what the fuck is the matter?”

“Well, I kind of want to get out of it alive. I like Massimo. Like a lot. I know you don’t like him. I don’t like Luciano for what he did to you. But I’m willing to give him a chance. Can you do the same for Massimo?”

She pushed her hands through that gorgeous hair, resignation all over her face.

“Sure, Ella. You know I love you, and I want you to be happy. However, I’m not asking you to give Luciano a chance. Both of those assholes pointed their guns at me. Besides, thinking about Massimo while we have the King family hunting for us along with the Romano family isn’t the right thing to do right now.”

“I know, I know. But I’m tired of running. And I just know it will be worse this time. It was hard watching you last time and your pregnancy was what helped us both get through. It was the only thing that drove us. What will we have this time?”

“We can’t bring Matteo along. It’s too risky. Luciano will make sure he is safe.”

“You have everything ready so he knows Matteo is his?”

My wife nodded but no other words left her lips.

I immediately called up my driver. “Bring my wife and her friend back,” I barked the moment he answered.

“Sir, they had me drop them off ten miles from the house.”

Fury at Grace’s recklessness and stubbornness irked my nerves. I hung up without another word and turned to Massimo. “Track their location.”

I might have sent her back into the vipers’ nest three years ago, but damn if I’d let her go back into it now.